Reach for a new tomorrow
by Zombie Pixel
Summary: AU: Set 3 years prior to ME1. Nihlus Kyrik begins to see what's so special about humanity. At least one human anyway. Join Nihlus and a whole crew of OC's as they set out to be save the day. Will continue through all three games Nihlus- F/OC eventual FemShep-Garrus
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, sorry. Uploaded it last night, but didn't check it. Hopefully it's cleaned up and easier to read now. This is my first fic, so please let me know how it is.**

The base pounding in his blood, the smell of alcohol and sweat, the slow burn of the alcohol he drank sliding down his throat, the sight of the tiny asari dancing in his arms grinding her hips against his as she ran her fingers along the underside of his fringe. Nihlus Kyrik loved nights like tonight.

For just a few hours he could forget all of the expectations the counsel and his mother placed on him. He could forget all the faces of those that had died that paved the way to his spectacular spectre career. He could just forget...

The asari, Zalai, grabbed a hold of his mandibles and dragged his face down towards hers.  
"You're with me, but so far away. You alright, Nih?" Zalai asked pressing her breasts into his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

He growled as the smell of her salty, musky arousal reached his nose. He deeply chuckled as he leaned down and licked her bottom lip. "Did someone miss me?"  
She punched his arm. "Asshole! Of course I did. You were gone so long What if that pilot bitch decided to move in on you. And me stuck here on the citadel unable to protect you from her!"

Nihlus took hold of Zalai's shoulders and shoved her away. "Z! I've told you this is Not serious! Even IF there was something between Cora and I, it does not concern you. But there is not." He gently ran his talon along her left cheek and watched in pleasure as a pink blush spread across her cheeks and her pink eyes darkened in lust. "So, just stop making everything about you!" He turned away from her heading back to their table.

Nihlus winked towards his ship's batarian engineer, Brax Korax, as he began to stroll back towards their table. He smirked even larger when he felt Zalai's arms wrap around him from behind "I'm sorry! Please don't go! I have missed you! I just..." she sobbed against his back.

Nihlus couldn't help the grin that spread as Brax rolled all four of his eyes at him. His face turned serious as he turned back towards her slowly and deliberately. "Just..." he paused and cocked his head to the side. "What, Zalai?" he whispered as he leaned in close to her.

"Come home with me! Wash away my pain!" He was hoping for the invite back to her apartment, but her second statement sent his mind spinning in panic.  
His talons gripped her shoulders and he pushed her away from him "Z... I don't... I...I..I can't..."

Nihlus saw the flash of pain in her pink eyes before she turned away. He began to reach out to her and watched as her back stiffened. "Well here comes the bitch." He looked over his shoulder and saw his ship's pilot shoving a krogan out of her way. Her blue eyes blazing furiously.

Brax scrambled to get in her way and was shoved aside as well. Nihlus groaned as he pulled Zalai behind his back and faced toward the storming woman.  
"Cora, I hope there is a reason for your rudeness." She scoffed at him as she stormed forward digging her finger in between his cowl and soft skin of his neck. "What the fuck, Cora!"

She glared around him at Zalai and then back to Nihlus, "You realize it's the middle of the afternoon!"  
"Oh, come on, Sill'a! We've been out for months in the vacuum of space. Time has no meaning for us!" Nihlus exclaimed throwing his arms out.

Corainzia T'Vari was one of the best pilots he had ever come across and was one of only three people he trusted.  
She placed her hands on her hips and was shaking her head at him in her patronizing way. "Unless you are going by galactic standard time and waiting for a meeting with the counsel."

His mandibles went slack as he stared at her in disbelieve. "But... we just got back!"

Cora's expression softened towards him as Brax walked over. "We moving out?" His gruff voice asked to Nihlus' left.  
Nihlus growled and turned toward Zalai. "I guess we will have to wait for next time, dear." He couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt when she wouldn't meet his eyes. She merely nodded and walked off to the bar still glancing back his way as if to make sure he hadn't changed his mind. He couldn't feel too bad. She did lighten him by over 500 credits for their dance and if anything the counsel saved him the credits for buying her for the night.

Leaving the club with his crew mates, Nihlus could feel Cora's eyes glaring a hole in the back of his head "What is it?" He looking over at the asari.  
"Something's not right with her, Nih. I would recommened that you stop all communication with her." Cora stated looking back over her shoulder.

Nihlus also looked back and saw Zalai standing outside the club watching the trio leave. When their eyes met, she blew him a kiss and turned to walk off into the shadows He sighed and shook his head as he stepped up to a transportation hub to summon a skycar. "Z is alright Cora. I am the one that has the issues."

He hated the counsel's chamber. The way the counsel stood above him in the massive chamber just reminded him of all the pressure that was placed on him to be their perfect spectre. He always wished that he could be like his mentor, Saren, and just not give a fuck as long as he got the job done. Nihlus tried to be as ruthless, to live up to the legend of his mentor, but found it impossible when he had to report back to his uncle, Sparatus.

Even now his uncle glowered down at him. The salarian councillor was the first to speak. "We have recently received all the reports of your last mission, Agent Kyrik, and are very alarmed by the amount of information you neglected to inform this counsel of in your report."

Nihlus swallowed the growl building in his throat and placed his hands on the railing leaning towards the counsel. "I apologize, however I Just returned to the citadel, and was taking a little r&r with my crew before I submitted my full report." He still couldn't help the raise in volume to his voice.

Sparatus slammed his fist down "And you didn't think it pertinent information to inform the counsel of Cerberus buying from batarian slavers."

"I took care of it, sir." Nihlus answered "Oh, yes. You killed all the slavers and Cerberus operatives and received no information as to the why's of the situation, AGAIN!" The turian councillor yelled, his mandibles spread wide and teeth gnashing. Councillor Tevos gently laid her hand on Sparatus' arm and amazingly silenced him.

She looked towards Nihlus, "We didn't summon you here to lecture you on what you should already know is your job, spectre." Tevos had the great ability to turn Nihlus back into a 12 year old having his father catch him stealing some fresh made lakal before dinner. "This counsel has been lenient towards you, because you are one of our top agents and there is no denying your effectiveness at your duty. That is why the counsel must request your services for another mission."

Nihlus felt his jaw drop "but... I just got back from 7 months out!"

The asari councillor met his eyes and nodded "We are perfectly aware, however your ship is the only one at our disposal with effective enough stealth capabilities."  
Nihlus hung his head. He should have known that eventually the counsel would see the effectiveness of his small ship. "What is the mission?"

Sparatus raised his omni-tool and a recorded message began playing. "This is Dr. Masara K'Tar at Ventarlik station. We are under attack by Cerberus! Please, if anyone gets this, there are a few of us left." There was the sound of gun fire in the background of the transmission and a piercing scream. Nihlus could hear the heavy breathing of the doctor as she was running for her life. There was a thud and silence for a few moments, "Please. Someone help us!" and then silence filled the large room as the recording ended.


	2. Chapter 2

"Exactly what the hell kind of station is this?" Cora asked over her shoulder as they neared the station. Nihlus couldn't help his groan as he eyed the size of the giant structure.

"Research." He watched the various readings flying across the screens. He pulled up the blueprints for the facility and rubbed the back of his neck. "We got anything on the scanners, yet?"

Cora punched in a few buttons and 20 orange dots appeared around the schematic in front of Nihlus. "Those are all Cerberus ships, Nih. I will have to drop you off. It is far to dangerous to dock."

"Are you sure you can get in and out without detection?" Nihlus watched the dots moved around the base in a patroling pattern. Cora huffed and rolled her eyes at him.  
"You sure about storming the base with no back up?"

Nihlus smirked at her, "We need to be discreet about this, Cora. Move in, get the Doc, and move back out before Cerberus are any wiser. I can not really sneak through the station with others charging off guns blazing every few minutes." He checked on his med-gel supplies, ammo and guns again.

Cora through her hands up and shook her head "Fine! Go be the mighty hero. Take all the glory and honor for yourself! While your at it, get shot in the back cause no one is watching it!"

"He being a stubborn ass?" Brax asked over the ship's comms.

"Yes!" Cora shrieked as her eyes narrowed at her screens of data.

"He'll be fine, Cor. This is Nih we're talking about. Posterboy of the Spectres!" Brax laughed.

Nihlus rubbed his neck again and sighed "I'm still here."

The ship suddenly surged forward "Enough chit-chat boys. It's go time!" Cora yelled excitedly.

This is what Nihlus lived for. He rolled into cover behind some crates as he heard another Cerberus team moving toward him at in intersection of halls. They were moving in a hurry. "They finally have that damn turian cornered! Move it people! I don't want to miss my chance to shoot that raptor bitch."

Nihlus squeezed himself back tighter against the crates as they rushed past his hidding spot. He sat arguing with himself. His orders were to save Dr. K'Tar. But if there were other survivors, shouldn't he at least try to save them as well?

A shrill turian shriek came from the way the troopers had ran. No more time for thoughts, there was only instinct as Nihlus rushed in the direction of the cry. He slowed when he heard gunshots from ahead and activated his tactical cloak. He moved forward and looked around the corner the gunshots were coming from. His eyes were greeted by a wall of Cerberus troopers backs as they were attempting to funnel out of the hall and into a large room, where they were meeting heavy gunfire from the otherside of the room.

Nihlus retreated back into a small office and brought the map of the station up on his omni-tool. He turned towards the wall and moved a desk out of his away from the wall and opened the grate on the vent.

It seemed to take forever crawling through the tight vents, but it was actually a comfort to still hear gunshots. They wouldn't keep shooting if there was no one to shoot, right?

Finally he came to the end. He attempted to look through the slates of the grate before him, but all he could see was blue blood shinning on the floor. He kicked the vent out and jumped back further as a shotgun blast nearly removed his foot.

"Damn Cerberus bastards had to get smart sometime!" A female turian voice yelled from the other side of the vent.

"I am Spectre Nihlus Kyrik. The counsel sent me to help you!" Nihlus exclaimed.

"Well, then. Three days and they finally fucking send someone! If you're here to help, get out here and help me kill some of these fuckers!"

Nihlus quickly dove out of the vent and into cover behind a stack of tables across from him as he brought his sniper rifle out. He quickly peeked over his cover and dropped back down next to the female. "How many more of you are there?"

"Just Dr. K'Tar and me. Well... there's kinda two others, but everyone else is either gone or dead. Shit!" She winced as she tightened a turniqet around her leg.  
Nihlus tossed her a medi-gel pack before popping up from their cover to quickly snipe down three troopers who had been attempting to charge them and noticed a few sentries setting up turrets. He dropped back and smirked over at the woman. She chirped a thanks as she smeared the gel on to her wound.

"What do you mean 'kinda two others?'" He asked as he brought up his omni-tool to hack the turrets.

She chuckled as she fired her shotgun over the tables and witnessed the turrets gunning down the men who had just set them. "Nice trick!"

"Are you going to answer me?" He asked watching through his scope as the back of another human skull blew apart from the force of his ammo.

"I think I'll leave that for the Doc if we ever get out of here and back to her." She looked over the barricade, "We only have to get through 16 more of them and hope they don't have more back up on the way."

"That should not be a problem for me as long as you do not get in the way." He said with a smirk as he shot down two more.

It was over with far to quickly. Nihlus walked around the bodies checking for ammo clips and more medi-gel. "I hope I didn't get in the way too badly." The female turian said from the console she was fiddling with.

"I only tripped over you twice, so it was not horrible." He said as his left mandible flared out in a turian smirk again. "You are a cocky bastard!" She said laughing. Nihlus took a moment to admire her. She was lovely with white scales that were not the bone white of his mentor, Saren, but shone with an opalescence of blue, green, and red. Her colony markins were a bright violet that swirled around her eyes and across her mandibles. Her waist was incredibly small and her legs seemed almost unnaturaly long. If only she was softer.

Turian females just didn't appeal to him. They had ignored him publicly in his youth, always prefering to flaunt themselves towards the males with prestigious families and could improve their social status. He was just a kid from a mercenary colony who entered the military a year after he was supposed to. It didn't help that he was labeled as being a trouble maker. He could not take a stupid order and would question everything he was told by his commanding officers. He was a bad turian and his ranking in the military showed it.

The females still came to him at night, though. Told him how beautiful and wonderful he was in the dark and come morning return to looking down on him. They only really became interested in him after he became a spectre and by then, he had discovered the joys of the softer asari flesh.

He remembered the last time he had been with Zalai. Her soft flesh molding against him as he held her close. Her plush lips pressed to his mouth plates as her short flat tongue intertwined with his. The feel of her soft breasts rubbing against his chest plates and the dark blue tips hardening against him.

Nihlus shook his head as his mind began wandering to places it shouldn't be. It had been far to long since he had blown off some steam with a bed partner. Damn the counsel for not giving him even one night off.

"I still do not know who you are or what is going on here. Maybe you can fill me in?" Nihlus said focusing back on the female in front of him.

"I'm Lykana Norles. I was just a member of the security team, but when shit fell apart most of security were the first ones out. Fucking cowards! They left me and one other here." She said rubbing the wound on her leg and took a shaky breath. "We managed to evacuate most of the people, but... they had us trapped in the escape pod bay a...and... just started executing people. They'd pull one of us away ask a few questions and then... just shoot them!" As she spook her voice was rising in volume. She stood staring at the console before her blankly. Nihlus stepped forward and touched her shoulder. Her golden green eyes met his before she returned to staring at the console.

"What did they want?" He inquired gently. His subharmonics trilling comfortingly.

"I don't know. Dr. K'Tar and I escaped them the same way you saved me. I.. we... never even looked back." She cried out slamming her fist into the wall besides her.

"Where is she now?"

Lykana turned back to the console and began tapping almost in a panic . "She's still in her lab. We managed to barricade ourselves in for the past few days, but we had no food or water other then what was in her storage fridge, so..." she motioned around.

"That's how Cerberus pinned you down here?"

She nodded "I dropped a can in the kitchen and some of the bastards heard me. I tried to get back to the vents, but one of them had a lucky shot and caught me in my bloody leg. And then you showed up and saved my life and here we are!"

"Earlier you said something about two other..." she held a finger up in front of his nose as she put her shotgun away behind her back with the other.

"I said the Doc could answer that! Now if you really want to know, follow me." She said turning away from him and heading to the vent he came through.

"You know this hall is clear. We don't have to crawl."

"We do to get to where we're going. Come on!" She hissed at him before disappearing into the dark.

Cerberus troops were swarmed all around the lab. Nihlus could hear the voices of them carry through the vents. Lykana stopped in front of him and whistled into the room below them. A soft voice called up to them, "Lykana! Is that you? Please tell me that's you."

Lykana moved the grate aside and jumped into the room. "It seems I owe you 50 credits, Doc. The counsel finally sent someone." Nihlus lowered himself after her and scanned around the room. The most prominent thing Nihlus noticed was the line of what seemed to be sleeper pods lined against the fall wall. Only two were lit up.

"So I take it those are the other two?" Nihlus asked towards the women.

Dr. K'Tar turned angrilly towards Lykana. "You told him!"

Lykana stepped back from the other woman's anger "It slipped. I told him that it was just us and kinda two others. I didn't say anything else. I told him he could ask you." Lykana glanced towards Nihlus.

He stepped towards the Doctor reaching his hand towards her "Dr. K'Tar, I am Spectre Nihlus Kyrik. The counsel sent me here to retrieve you and your research and deliver you to the citadel. I hope you are prepared to leave."

The doctor ran to a cluster of terminals and began furiously typing between one and another. "I need ten minutes to wrap up my research, Spectre." She said with a hint of disdain in her voice.

"Doctor, I am afraid I must insisit you download what files you can and we get the hell out of here." From one of the barricades Nihlus could hear the sounds of torches burning through the welds sealing the door.

Dr. Masara K'Tar stepped back and motioned to the pods "I'm not leaving them!"

"Then wake them up and get them out!" he yelled at her flashing his sharp teeth at her as a snarl ripped through him.

"They will be ready in TEN minutes!" she yelled back shoving him out of the way as she moved to the pods. She uncoverred a metal lab table and moved it in front of the glass of the nearest pod. "I suggest you get ready, Spectre, because Cerberus will be in here in less then three."

Nihlus looked after Lykana as she moved to give similar treatment to the other pod. "What the hell kind of station is this?!"


	3. Chapter 3

_"So familiar, and overwhelmingly warm _

_This one, this form I hold now _

_Embracing you, this reality here _

_This one, this form I hold now,_

_ so Wide eyed and hopeful _

_Wide eyed and hopefully wild _

_We barely remember what came before this precious moment_

_ Choosing to be here right now_

_ Hold on, stay inside... _

_This body holding me, reminding me that I am not alone in..._  
_This body makes me feel eternal _

_All this pain is an illusion_" Parabol- Tool

At first there was nothing. No colors, no sensations, no sense. Then came a fague sense of awareness. Words began forming and meanings behind the words. The ego, id, and super-ego began forming. A sense of self evolved from nothing.

The consciousness expanded outward and she; was she female?; heard loud noises. She couldn't make sense of the sounds. The words had never had sound before. A loud hiss exploded around her causing pain to flash through her newly awakened brain. Her world tilted sideways and she fell prey to gravity as she tumbled from the safety of her warm cocoon into the harsh reality awaiting her.

Nihlus popped up from cover and sniped a Cerberus guardian through the small slot in it's shield. To his left, Lykana vaulted over her cover, directly in front of a trooper. She smacked him in the helmet with the butt of her shotgun and when he stumbled back, placed the barrel into his stomach and blasted his copper smelling entrails behind him. She scrambled quickly over the titanium table Nihlus was behind and grinned at him as their cover was peppered with bullets.

"I think you pissed them off!" He shouted at her.

"Oh, yeah! And they are just loving you snipping them all off." She laughed as she holstered her shotgun for her M-12 locust and jumped back up shooting out the shields of another trooper. Once his shields were out, Nihlus jumped up and blasted his grey matter out of his skull. "No fair! That one was mine!"

The sound of the capsules decompressing filled the lab. An odd fluid seeped from the capsule unto the ground at his feet. Dr. K'Tar had been keeping her head down, only occassionaly shooting her pistol if any enemies came too close on her and mostly hacking their tech to malfunction. The capsule nearest her opened, knocking the table before it over, and she charged catching the falling figure. She was grazed across the arm as she frantically tried to pull herself and the unconscious body into cover.  
The occupant of the other capsule did not fair so kind a fate. The moment the vorcha male was released, the left side of his abdomen was eaten away by submachine fire. Nihlus growled and pulled a grenade from his thigh. He stood just as Lykana did and as she shot any in their line of sight, he tossed the grenade at the doorway. They ducked back into cover as the blast shook the room. The resulting screams and consecutive moans of pain were satisfying to him.

"Well, why the fuck didn't you just do that in the first place?" Lykana asked him as they shot at the backs of the retreating few Cerberus operatives still alive backing down the hall.

He shrugged "I like a challenge. Grenades make things too easy." They started cleaning the room of surviving enemy forces. She offered mercy kills at a distance. Clean, effecient. He was different. She cringed after he shot a Cerberus man's brains out with his pistol at point blank range. He licked the copper blood off his lip plates and she turned away in disgust. He loved death. She was still afraid of it. It made him wonder how young the female was.

"Officer Norlus? How is Subject 148?" Dr. K'Tar asked still behind the table she had taken cover behind.

The turian female quickly looked toward the dead vorcha and growled, "He didn't make it." She walked over to the body.

Dr. K'Tar stood tall and looked toward Nihlus. "Spectre, if you would please look in that cabinet case knocked over behind you and bring me a blanket." Nihlus quickly rushed and handed her over the blanket. He looked down and was shocked to see a small human girl curled in a ball on the ground. A very naked human girl.

"Doc, you're going to want to look at this." Lykana said from the body she was crouched by.

Nihlus huffed "We need to get moving, now! They are going to come back with reinforcements and I do not want to be pinned down in here again. We need to get off this station."

Dr. K'Tar stepped into Nihlus' personal space. He started to growl at her and she jumped up and slapped his fringe, Hard! He dropped to his knees and gently rubbing his aching fringe, "What the fuck!"

She reached out and grabbed his mandible bringing his face to hers where she hissed in his face "I have spent so much of my life into this project because the counsel asked me to. I have lost all of my friends, my subjects, my whole station! Give me two goddess damn minutes to attempt to answer 'Why'?" She screamed, spewing spittle all over his face. With that she turned and walked away from him flinging the blanket on the ground.

He grabbed the blanket up and walked around the table. He drapped the cover over the shivering, wet human. "Are you alright?"  
A pair of dark brown eyes raised to his green ones and blinked rapidly. She opened and shut her mouth and the area between the twin catepillar looking things wrinkled up. She then reached one pale pink hand toward him as she struggled to stretch out her ungainly limbs. He croched down to her and was surprised when she wrapped both her arms around his neck. She looked him intently in the eye and looked toward the way the doctor had moved off.

Nihlus placed his arms around her and stood holding her like a prized treasure. He slowly moved towards the body of the dead vorcha that Lykana and Dr. K'tar knealt by. Nihlus looked down at the corpse and exclaimed "What the fuck is the matter with his head?"

Dr. K'Tar glanced up and her eyes narrowed at him as they went between him and the girl. She glanced back down at the body below her and sighed, "Massive brain tumor. He wouldn't have survived for long anyway." She ran her omni-tool over the prone form and looked at the readings. She stood up and walked towards Nihlus and the tiny waif in his arms. She ran a scan over the human girl and sighed. "And if I have any hope of saving my last subject, I need to get her to the citadel."

The girl had sharp claws on her fingers that dug painfully into his neck. He met her brown eyes and saw a look of panic in those dark orbs. He trilled at her as her lowered her down onto a near by counter. He activated his ships communication code. "Cora? Brax? You read me? "

"Spectre, you will not be able to reach your ship from here. I activated my transimittor blockers on this and the levels around us when I put in the code to activate my projects." Nihlus let out a bark of laughter and looked down at the little human. Her eyes were wide as she looked around at the dead bodies around, that area above her eyes crinkling more.

"Well, that explains why we don't have Cerberus down our throats yet! They have a hell of a way to go to call for reinforcements. Spirits! Dr. K'Tar, that is brilliant." She blushed and nodded to the pods.

"The genius part, Spectre Kyrik is the escape passage to docking bay four I had installed in this lab when I founded this installation."

"Please, Dr. K'Tar call me Nihlus." He said as he slipped his arms back around the small frame of the little human. Lykana had already moved ahead and slipped between the wall and the line of pods. He moved after her and looked around the corner of pods. She tapped something into the panel on the wall and a part of the wall moved aside.

Nihlus glanced back to see the asari doctor kneel down and close the eyes of the vorcha corpse. She stood and nodded to him. "Then I insist you refer o me as Masara. Come then, Nihlus. We need off this floating death trap. You may have to carry Subject 182. Her muscles are still weak." She passed by them and her hand gently ran through the humans long fur on her head.

Nihlus looked down at the human after the doctor vanished around the corner. She was attempting to pull the blanket tighter around her as her teeth chattered in her head. It seemed as if she had no coordination in order to adequately pull the blanket around her. Nihlus tucked the blanket around her and gently smilled at her. "We will definately have to find you a better name then 182." She nodded at him and her pink human lips split wide revealing her teeth. Her wondered if it meant the same with humans as it did asari.

They entered out of another sliding wall panel Nihlus placed the little human down and who managed to stand on her unsteady legs grasping at the front of his armor. He opened his ship's comms and was greeted with Cora's voice "Nihlus, you fucking bastard! You better not be dead! Answer me!"

"And here I thought you didn't love me, sill'a." He chuckled.

"Nihlus! You fucking asshole! Why the fuck didn't you answer me?" She shrieked.

"Long story. Think you can get three survivors and myself off this floating junk heap?" Lykana growled at him as Dr. Masara sobbed. Lykana growled at him as she placed her hand on the doctors shoulder. He trilled his apologies at them.

"I got you Nih. Coming in now."

She couldn't breathe! The air was not filling her lungs like it should. It felt like something was stuck inside her throat. The red plated male turian was still holding her protectively against him. She opened and shut her mouth trying to ask him what was happening only to have only the sound of what little breath she had escape her lips again. The pain from her throat and lungs was excurciating and she felt wetness run down her cheeks.

The turians nostrils flared and he looked down at her. He cocked his head to the side and looked toward the white coated asari. A doctor or scientist maybe. "Her eyes are leaking. Are they supposed to do that."

The asari ran the orange glowing thing on her arm over the length of her body and then examined her findings. "I hope you have some form of a Med bay on your ship, Spectre Nihlus. Subject 182 will require immediate surgery."

The doors of the dock flashed green and Nihlus quickly walked down the gangway "Why? What is wrong with her?" He asked trilling to the girl in his arms as her eyes darted back and forth between him and the doctor.

"She was a tumor in her throat that is causing a slight obstruction. She is getting oxygen, but not enough. I need to remove it immediately." She explained as she followed him towards the small ships med bay.

"Cora! Get us the fuck out of here!" He yelled towards the cock pit. He kicked the panel of the Med bay door and it swished open. He stormed in and placed his dainty cargo down on the one medical bed. "What the fuck did you do?" He growled at the asari. The human clung to his arm. Her now dry hair curling in red locks down her back. Her brown eyes franticly searching his begging him. Her plump lips parted as her breath came out panicked. He reached his left hand out and gently ran it along the back of her head as he had seen the doctor do earlier. The curls there curled around his talons and she seemed to calm a minuscule bit. He repeated the action and again.

The doctor was searching through the cabinets gathering her needed supplies. "All of my subjects were exposed to high levels of eezo during their treatments. Subject 148 and 182 here were the only ones to make it to maturity." She stepped towards the girl, no, woman and went to reach for her arm with a syrenge. The human hugged Nihlus tighter. "I need to anethetize you for surgery." She said speaking to the human for the first time.

Nihlus stood there dumb founded for a moment. "Wait... WHAT?" He yelled making the woman pressed to his side to cower away from him. He chirped at her softly and the doctor took her momentary distraction to poke the needle into her arm with amazing precesicion. Nihlus hissed at the asari as he pulled the human back to him. She clutched at his cowl, but he felt her grip slacken already.

"I appreciate your chauvenistic driven concern for Subject 182, Spectre Kyrik! However, if you actually care for her to survive, you will leave now and allow me to save her life, please." She said the last softly as she pulled a Med cart filled with surgical instruments closer. "And send Officer Norlus in to assist me."

Nihlus growled at her as he gently laid the unconscious human on the table. "This is not over Dr. K'Tar."

She sighed and met his eyes. "I'll answer what I can, after the surgery."

**AN:/ I'm open to any suggestions on what to name Subject 182. Every time I think I have her name, she decides she doesn't like it. So, maybe someone else will give her a name she likes. And please let me know. Is it good? Is it bad? How can I make it better. Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:/ I really struggled with this chapter, but I'm finally happy with it. **

Nihlus stared at the blank screen before him. He started typing again only to growl in frustration and close the program to pace the ship for the ninth time. His circuits around the ship never took long. On the bottom level of the ship, was engineering; where Brax lived and slept in a small storage closet just large enough for a cot; the cargo hold and a small gym with a sparing ring the ship's crew of three regularly used. There was one flight of stairs towards the aft of the ship that lead up to the second level that Nihlus was sure had not been used since he purchased the vessel. Using the hatch going up from engineering directly into the cock pit. Down the hall were the captain's and XO cabins were Nihlus and Cora slept respectivlely. The hall opened up into a small mess. Across from the hall was the afformentioned neglected stairs. To the port side was the normally unused crew cabin. To the left was the medbay.

Nihlus started to turn right to head toward the cock pit and paused. He knew where he would end up. What was the point of driving Cora further insane and risking her wrath with his incessant pacing. He turned left and headed into the mess.

"So, that makes 7 or 8 times you haven't stayed still long enough to do your report?" Brax's voice asked from one of the cabinets.

"Nine, if you really must keep count. You know there are only nutrition bars. We still need to stock up." Nihlus leaned against the counter next to the batarian. Brax sighed dejectedly as he reached for a dextro and a levo bar. Nihlus excepted the food bar he was handed and began to mindlessly eat it.

Brax bit into his and flinched, "I can't wait to eat a meal that doesn't taste like shit!"

Nihlus shook his head, "It does not taste like anything. This is a significant step up from shit." His eyes traveled over to the med bay and then back down at his meal.

"Well standing here waiting ain't gonna make things move any faster in there. Let's gonna annoy Cora."

Nihlus laughed "You really have a death wish."

Brax grabbed another levo bar and a bottle of water "I'll bring her presents and she'll forgive me. At least it always works for you."

Nihlus brought his hand to his chest and acted offended as the two walked towards the cockpit together. "I have no idea what you could be speaking of!"

"Your asari girl was real upset when we left. We'll get back and you'll buy her some trinket and all will be forgiven."

Nihlus shrugged "She is not my girl." Nihlus fell back a step and allowed Brax to enter first.

A data pad narrowly avoided his head and smashed into the wall "Damn it! We have fucking stairs! What's the point of having stairs if no one Fucking uses them!" The asari raged. Nihlus chuckled as he entered the room to Cora's angry welcome. Her eyes narrowed at him "and YOU! Hold still for five minutes before I break both of your leg spurs! You're driving me crazy."

"You didn't warn me that you had already pissed her off." Brax grumbled at him as he offered the gifts to the raging women. Her eyes lit up and she snatched both items. She bit into the bar and sighed in contentment as she took a drink. "How the hell do you like those things?"

"Starving for a while makes anything taste good." She answered with a shrug, her anger forgotten as her hunger subsided.

Nihlus strained his hearing and wondered over to the hatch leading down to engineering, "Is that rattaling getting worse?"

"We don't just need to stock up Nih, our baby needs a tune up." Brax said patting the hull by his head.

"How bad is it?" He asked wondering if he could convince the counsil to pay the bill.

"Nothing important is busted, but a lot of the bolts down there are completely stripped and need replaced. The port thrusters are acting a little wonky too, so Cora shouldn't try any nutzo maunuvers. Should be fine to get us back to the citadel. I wouldn't press her further. I did mention it a few months ago, but we haven't had time to do anything about it."

Nihlus rubbed his head "Great. Could my day get any better?"

"So, what did the good doctor have to say?" Cora asked as she turned back to the view port and her screens.

"She said she would answer my questions after the surgery." Nihlus growled. "The bitch grabbed my fringe!" He said rubbing the sore spot.

Brax and Cora tried to stiffle their laughs, but failed. "To be fair, you are difficult." Cora giggled as she pulled up a new screen, "umm, Nih, the human is hooked up to the ship's monitors. It seems like she has been recovering from her surgery for the past hour."

"Sounds like they are avoiding you, Nih." Brax said blinking his four eyes at him.

Nihlus growled and began storming down the hall. He brought up his omni-tool and was just about to hack the door when it opened. Lykana stepped out and stood in front of it as it shut behind her. Nihlus growled louder and started stalking towards the young turian. She growled back and lowered her stance but a slight high infliction at the end of it told her fear. Nihlus was upon her in a moment. She blocked the punch to her midrift. She lifted her leg above his kick at her leg spurs. He stepped back for a moment and was shocked when she did not immediately attack back. Her eyes were wide in panic and her movements were jerky as if she was searching for a way to run past him. He roared in frustration and charged her pinning her to the door. His talons gripped around her neck and he lifted her till her face met his. "Do NOT get in my way! Especially on my ship, Girl!" He flung her behind him into the mess and heard her as she scrambled back chirping her submissive apology to him as he stormed into the Med bay.

"Well, you have adequetly shown your superior male dominance over a young girl. Now I wonder why you feel the need to bother my subject when she is in desperate need of her rest." Dr. K'Tar ran her omni-tool over the small human as she slept fitfully in the small bed.

Nihlus couldn't tell if she was alright or not. Was she supposed to be that color, was she supposed to have moisture seeping from the small holes in her skin, was her breathing alright. Nihlus stepped back toward the door and met the doctor's dark blue eyes. "No more avoiding me. In five minutes, I want some answers."

"Very well Spectre Kyrik. Five minutes it will be." He turned and walked back into the mess. Lykana was huddled by the one table in the mess, but when she saw him she hurried off to the crew quarters and ducked into the room.

Nihlus lowered himself into one of the six seats at the table and placed his head in his hands. "Ummm... Nih?" Cora asked from the hall. He growled in response. He heard her whisper something probably to Brax and heard them retreat back to the cockpit. He sat back and stared at the door.

He remembered when his mother had sent him off to the military the day after his father's funeral pyre. He had been so afraid and had cowered under his bunk at training. The other young soilders taunted and teased him while poking at him with sticks. After hours of him refusing to budge and many attempts to remove him failed in many black eyes and dripping blue bite wounds one of his commanding officers was called in to forcefully pull him out.

Once freed from his dark sanctuary the other trainees inflicted their revenge for the wounds he had inflicted on him. Any sign of weakness was removed from the young turians during training, sometimes harshly. It's the way things were for turians. At least that's what Nihlus was trying to tell himself as he remembered Lykana's frightened golden eyes pleading him for mercy. She had obviously never been through any form of training let alone military service.

"I suppose you're enjoying your self-pity moment you are having?" The asari doctor asked sitting down across from him.  
He snarled at her, "Do not press your luck, Doctor. I am very close to throwing you out the airlock right this moment." He attempted to breath more deeply to contain his rising anger.

"Was it your mother who insisted you speak in high turian rather then the common dialect?" Dr. K'Tar asked as she rested her chin on her clasped hands.

"Excuse me?!" He screamed slamming his palms on the table as he towered over her.

"When you speak and it comes across my translator, I've noticed you never use contractions. I was wondering why and after reviewing your files, it seems like the most reasonable conclusion. Your mother was from a high family in the heirocracy." She tillted her head and smilled up at him sheepishly.

"We are not here to talk about me or my life, doctor." He stepped back and sat down. He realized she was trying to get under his plates, but why? Was she hiding something, was she mad about what happened with him and Lykana or was she just a bitch ?

"How's the girl?"

"You mean Subject 182?" She sighed and looked towards the door. "It was no where near as bad as I thought it was. I merely had to use an endoscope and a surgical lazer to burn the tumors. Even better it seems that all of the tumors were benign, so I expect her to recover quickly."

"How quickly?" he asked

The woman across from him looked at him as if she was calculating him. "No more then 2 days before she will be able to move about on her own. Maybe a week for full recovery. I imagine we'll be at the citadel well before that."

"What were you doing on that station?" He finally asked.

She stood and walked around the table. "You have to understand, Spectre,  
My experiments were entirely funded by the counsil. There are certain things I can not divulge to you. I will do my best, but know that it is not as bad as it sounds." She said leaning towards him.

He slowly nodded "Alright, doctor. How about you try telling me what you can."

She turned away and took a deep breath. "My father began everything. He wanted to understand biotics. He was actually the one who figured out about eezo exposure on unborn fetus' leading to a possibility of biotics. After he died, I took over his research." She rubbed at her brow, "The counsel learned of our research and offered to fund everything in exchange for everything I learned. With my studies they developed the current model of biotic implant." She stated proudly, "Not like my name will ever be on anything, but it's nice knowing, I did that!"

"So how does any of this have to do with the dead vorcha or the human girl in my Med bay?" Nihlus asked rubbing his neck.

"Woman." At his confused look she sighed and shook her head. "She is about 25 in human years. A fully grown human woman."

"Not answering the question, doc. I would think the vorcha's pack would like to know what happened to him and I'm sure someone is looking for the human woman." Her spine went ridged, her eyes averted from him and she wrung her hands in front of her.

She bit at her lower lip as she turned back toward him "There is no need to worry about either of my subjects families."

"They are not subjects! They are people with lives, with names! Not subject 182 and 134 or whatever." Nihlus screamed. Her eyes met him and he stepped back from the look of sorrow and anger.

"Subject 148 was his name and Subject 182 is hers . At least thats what they have been referred to till now. There was no point to name them." Nihlus felt like the room was spinning as he tried to comprehend what she had just said. As the asari doctor stumbled against the table, he realized, the whole ship was spinning. He attempted to stand and work his way toward the bow of the ship. He was thrown painfully into the wall as the ship was stopped.

"What the fuck is going on up there?" He saw Brax's head pop up from out the hatch.

"Your luck today is holding out. You remember the port thrusters, I mentioned earlier?' Nihlus nodded rubbing at his brow plates.

Nihlus growled and muttered under his breath "Spirits, not now." He looked at Brax and growled, "How fucked?" He asked the engineer.

"Take us about 5 to 8 days to crawl back to the citadel. We got enough rations to make it, but I'll have to divert as much of our power into just the aft thrusters. We're not going to be enjoying any showers for a while." Cora angrilly punched on her console.

"Please, Goddess, tell me I'm not stuck on this fucking over crowded scrape heap and I have to deal with all of your stenches! Do either of you know how bad a human smells when they are all sweaty? Mix that with a batarian and two turians and I'm going to be sick."

Brax rolled his eyes at Nihlus "Oh, yeah, you and the doc are going to be smelling like flowers in a few days. We'll survive somehow." Brax quickly disappeared back into engineering before Cora could turn her chair around to kick at where his head had been.

"You'll be begging to smell me to escape your stench!" She screamed shrilly after him, grinning while she did so. She smilled at him "You should probably go check on our guests. Make sure we didn't kill anyone. That'd be hard to explain to the counsil. And when you're done with that, your mother called."

He threw his arms in the air and turned around. "If she calls again tell her I will call her back, later." He went to the crew quarters and was preparing to knock when Dr. K'Tar rushed almost into him. She looked up and smilled at him.

Nihlus was slightly taken aback by her sudden mood change from a few minutes ago. "Everything alright, doc?"

Her smile grew wider "She's awake."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:/ Sorry for how long it has taken me to get this chapter up. I'm living with no internet right now and having to upload this at the library. Hopefully I will get internet back soon and update faster. Big thank yous to everyone who has followed this. On with the story. **

She felt as if she was floating, again. Maybe this was reality and the other pla ce just a dream. Could those brilliant green eyes possibly be real. She felt as if she was expanding outside of herself and floated high up. She was aware of the asari doctor over top of her. Some strange tool was inserted down her throat and the doctor had a lazer in her other hand.

She was upset over something. Her ego and pride damaged. Her heart bruised. And it was the little human she was working on that had hurt her so. The conciesness of the human recoiled back from the mind of the asari. What had she done in her short life to possibly injure another like this.

From the small desk in the room radiated a bundle of nervous energy. Curiously, she expanded her mind outward and came in contact with the young turian female. She was still only a teenager and kept chanting a mantra of "don't fuck this up" as she tapped furiously on the orange glowing screen radiating from her arm.

"You find any information on the spectre, Officer Norlus." The asari asked as sh e worked on the human's shell. The turian jumped and nodded her head.

"I'm sending it to you now, doctor." She answered as she typed more furiously.

"Good. I like knowing who I'm dealing with." The doctor wiped her face on her s eeve and put the lazer scalpel down on the medical tray. She exaimaned her work and nodded her head. She ran her hand through the humans hair and smilled gently "She should be fine in a few days."

"Why did only the human subject make it, doc?" The turian asked peaking around he asari as she hooked the human up to the ship's life moniters.

"If I understood the why's of it all, Of ficer Norlus, I wouldn't have a job anymore. Everyone would have this power." The doctor began typing at the screen on her wrist, an omni-tool, the human reminded herself. The machines began beeping round her keeping track of her heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels.

As the human listened to the machines she became aware of her own blood moving through her body. The feel of her heart constricting, pulling the blood into it's chambers. It contracting and flooding er body with oxygen rich blood. She tra eled through her own veins discovering every inch of her own form.

After a while she became aware of activity outside of her body again. Frustration mounting into anger was pulsating from somewhere away from her. She felt herself slip back out of the warmth of her body. The doctor and turian were discussing something quietly. The asari was surrounded by an aura of worry. The turian seemed to be filled with a sense of self doubt and fear. Neither was radiating what she was feeling pressing in on her awareness.

She looked to the door and wondered if s he could venture further from her mortal coil. She simply thought of being on the other side of the door and she was. She was immediately concerned when she saw the bottom half of a body, but was relieved when it kicked it's foot. "Damn it. .." a voice hissed. Whoever this was, they were growing frustrated, but it wasn' t the one disturbing her.

She could feel that one now approaching. The red plated turian stepped into view and seemed to smirk at her. She had to remind herself her body was in the other room and he was looking at the person half concealed. Something was said behind her. She imagined taking a breathe and focused on the male turian in front of her "You know there are only nutrition bars. We still need to stock up."

The batarian stood up and passed a food bar to the turian. She began to focus on the turian. His red plates on his face were elegantly marked by white clan markings that she wanted to trace with her fingers. His eyes were a bright green that seemed to almost glow in how bright they were. His fringe was long and symetrical. With everything she had been programmed to know of turians, he was a beautiful male specimen of the race.

He looked toward the med-bay and she felt his rising frustration again. The batatrian mentioned something about an asari being the turian's 'girl' and she felt something stab through her. The turian denied it and she felt relieve. What were these sensations the batarian and turian 's words causing her? She didn't like it .

As she followed the two with her expanding conscience she was aware of something below shaking the small ship on the left side. The shaking felt as if it was r ttaling small pieces in the ship loose. She felt weary of the small craft and fe lt as if something was about to go horribly wrong.

She was fascinated by the turian and felt as if he needed her to help calm his frazzeled nerves. The shaking from the port side and her own growing concern that something was about to happen, made her choice in where to go next . She had to figure out this sensation. She imagined spreading herself through the ship much as she had in her own body. The ship wa s much larger then her human form. There was so much to go through trying to find the problem and there were so many small things wrong with the vessel, it was amazing it still ran.

She felt herself growing too far spread, but the shaking was growing worse. More and more things had been knocked loose by the vibrations. She attempted to reach her mind into the system and felt as everything went horribly wrong.

A blast of heat shot through the thruster and distorted the air around her in slow motion. She did the only thing she could in so short a time and reacted with no thought of herself. She imagined spreading herself around the machine as a heat shield and braced herself for the blast.

She came to, back in her own body, gasping for air, on the floor of the med-bay with a pair of bright blue eyes shinning with unshed tears. Her right side hurt she guessed from the impact of hitting the floor when the ship spun out of control.

"Are you alright?" The asari asked her gently checking her right arm and shoulder.

The human flinched but nodded all the same. The asari attempted to help her to her feet, but her as yet, hardly used legs were useless for supporting her her weight for long. The asari sighed and stood back. "Let me go fetch someone to help us out, shall I?" The woman looked down at her useless legs and nodded.

After the doctor left, she exaimaned the cover that concealed just the front of her body leaving the back exposed. It was stiff, not like the cover the turian had wrapped around her. She glanced around and spotted the blanket folded in a chair on the other side of the room. She looked down at her arms and legs and then back to the sheet with a look of determenation.

She had barely begun to move across the room, her arms pulling her forward as her legs kicked back offering a further boast, but it was exhausting work. Sweat already was running in rivulets down her face and chest. She had barely moved when the door swoshed up.

"By the Goddess!" The asari shrieked from the doorway her hands pressed to her mouth. She rushed and wet a rag. She dropped down next to the human and ran the cloth over her face. "You need to rest. Not crawl around the floor. What were you trying to do?"

The human pointed to the ccover in the chair still many feet from her. The asari smilled at her. "There are warmer blankets on the bed in arms reach of you." The woman shook her head in answer and pointed more determinened at the sheet.

A familiar chuckle filled the room from the doorway. "I think she wants the one over here." The turian male walked over and picked up the object in discussion. He walked over and handed it down to the dainty woman on the floor.

Her hands reached up and pulled the spiral red fur from her face. Her brown eyes sparkled up at him as she gave him the most dazzling smile. Her full pink lips split revealing her white blunt teeth. She pulled the sheet to her nose and breathed in its smell deeply and then pulled it around her. She then glanced between the two of them and reached her arms to ward the turian.

"Perhaps I should have Officer Norlus assist me instead, Spectre Kryrik. I'm sure you are busy with dealing with your ship." The doctor said holding the humans wrist.

"My crew understands this ship's hardware better then I. I work better with soft ware." He reached down toward the small woman and lifted her in his arms. She seemed to weigh barely more then his rifle and her hands clutched weakly at his cowl.

He gently lowered her down onto the bed and pulled the thin blanket around her. Her hand reached out and traced along hi s right mandible. Nihlus' eyes met hers and he spread his mandibles into a turia n grin. She matced his grin and pulled t he sheet around her hiding the lower par t of her face. Nihlus chuckled at her and touched the long soft fuzz on her head , hair, he told himself.

Masara K'Tar moved between the two making the human focus on her. "Are you thirsty, dear?" She said holding a cup of ice chips. The human turned her head from ide to side. She sniffed at the cup and raised one of her hairy eye ridges at the asari. The doctor picked up one of the ice chips to the humans lips to run it over the lower one. She licked her lip and quickly sucked the small chip into h r mouth to allow it to disolve on her tongue. The doctor placed her hands around the cup and led her fingers to lift another chip to her mouth.

Nihlus sat down in the chair that the blanket had previously occupied and watched in fascination of the human. As her dark eyes lifted to his again he felt as if something shocked through him stopping the breath in his chest. She was beaut ful.

Her cheek bones were high and tapered in to a thin small chin. Her lips were full and dimpled into her cheeks when she smilled. Her red curls seemed to curl around her face and shoulders and she shoved the locks out of her way every few moments. Her eyes lifted to his again and s e smilled once more before her eyes darted toward the opening door.

Brax stood there fiddling his hands tog ther. All three of the room's occupants stared at the batarian expectantly as he continued to fidget. Nihlus gently smacked his head and stood.

The little human shyly hid her face again staring at Brax and waved with one hand. Nihlus was surprised when Brax waved back making the small woman flush red and hide her face further.

Nihlus walked over to her and ruffled her hair. He brown eyes shined playfully u p at him from the safety of her cover. He laughed as he said "You need some rest , little one." One hand snatched out gra bbing at his talons in her hair. Her eyes were widened and her breathing was becoming panicked. "I will come back to see you." He trilled reassurance to her.

He was not sure if she could hear his sub-harmonics, but she seemed to be reass red by him the same as she released his hand and sat back lifting her ice chips back to her mouth.

He walked to the door and looked over his shoulder at her with one last smile be fore the door shut.

Brax cleared his throat after the door shut "So, the lil one is awake now?"

"So it would seem." Nihlus looked back towards the doors and smiled remembering her warm and friendly the little human seemed. Not at all like how he had been told humans were. Humans were supposed to be selfish and xenophobes. She seemed the opposite. Friendly and inquisitive.

"I like her better then the other two." Nihlus looked at his friend curiously.

"What are your opinions of our current ship mates?" Nihlus asked.

"Like I said, the human is alright. Seems real friendly. Definately too trusting . The lil turian, a little young and insecure about herself. I don't think she'd cause any problems. The doc is just a deadnaught sized bitch." Brax nodded towards the med-bay door.

"I dare you to say that to her face." Nihlus chided his friend.

"I think I would rather deal with Cora. At least I think she won't castrate me with her sharp tongue." Brax stated walki ng toward the back stairway.

"You sure about that. You seem to be avoiding our little sill'a." Nihlus motioned toward the cock pit.

His friend turned, "She's not my little sister. " Nihlus smirked at his friend a nd the batarian turned away angrily and continued down the stairs. "I do have a reason for bringing you down here other then to discuss my pitiful lack of love life." Brax said over his shoulder harshly.

"And not to discuss mine either I hope." Nihlus growled.

"I did notice you seemed rather close to the lil one. I don't imagine a certain pink eyed asari liking that too much." Brax laughed at him as they went further into the ship.

Nihlus groaned as the engineer crawled under a stack of fallen over crates. "Someone has to see her as a person." He answered quietly.

"What's that, Nih?" Brax shouted from ahead.

"Nothing. Now what did you want to show me?" Nihlus stood after his friend and felt his jaw and mandibles go slack.

Where the port thrusters once stood was now a hole torn in the ship showing a fantastic view of space. There was a faint shimmering blue field that spread across the hull breach connecting to to the remaining wall. Nihlus reached his hand towards it only to have his batarian friend rip his hand back.

"Whatever that is, it's all that's keeping us from being sucked out into space. I Really wouldn't touch." Brax looked nervously at the barrier.

"What the fuck?" Nihlus stated as he stared at the blue field. It was distorting to watch the stars crawl past as they moved forward. "Are we going to make it to the citadel? Brax?" He turned to the batarian and saw a look of terror on his friend's face. "BRAX?!"

The batarian shook his head and met his eyes, "As long as this shield lasts. But, I don't even know what's causing this, so..." he breathed deep and turned his four eyes back to the giant hole in the ship, "I don't know."  
"NIHLUS! The fucking banshee who birthed you is calling, AGAIN!" Cora screamed down the hatch.

Nihlus growled and slammed his fist into the inner wall he was leaning against. He was surprised when two bolts fell from the bulkhead above and pinged him in his already sore fringe. "Damn it!" He screamed picking up one of the bolts to fling towards the bow of the ship. He almost laughed when he heard more bolts fall from the impact.

He could have bought a better ship long ago. However he had almost killed himsel f to buy this ship to begin with. Now it seemed it might be the death of him, h s friends, and the pretty little human.

"NIH?" Cora yelled from above again.

"Tell her, I will call her back when there is a possibility we are not going to die." He answered as he stood. Brax turned and looked at him.

"Where the hell you going?"

"I believe the doctor still has a few answers for me." Nihlus stated as he ducked under the crates and headed back towards the med-bay.

"Find out how long we have left to live while you're at it!" Brax yelled from the giant wound in their ship.

Nihlus stormed into the med-bay. The asa ri doctor quickly stood from the desk, her hand going to the pistol at her side. Next to the human Lykana Norlus bolted out of her chair and wrapped her arms around the tiny female. Her golden eyes met his as she hissed warningly at him.

The human's reaction was completely different from the other two. She shoved the turian away from her enough to grin and wave at him. Her cup of ice chips had been refilled and a few pieces fell from her lips when she smilled onto the sheet she still held tightly around her.

He could not help the warm smile that spread across his face at her happiness to simply see him. He focussed his attention back on the doctor. "Dr. K'Tar, would you mind explaining exactly what it is that you did to this woman?" He asked surprisingly more calm then he had intended asking.

"Why do you ask, Spectre?"

"Because, I have a Mako sized hole in the port side of my ship, and it seems the only thing from all of us being spaced is the largest biotic barrier I have ever seen." He answered her looking toward the human. She diverted her eyes away fr om everyone and hid her face deeper into her cover.

"What did you do?" The asari inquirered of the small human stepping closer to her.

The human looked up at her and pointed to her throat. She opened and shut her mouth and then shrugged at the doctor. Dr. K'Tar laughed and rubbed the top of her head. "Well, that's just a convenient excuse for you right now, isn't it?" The human grinned up at her and nodded her head in affirmative causing the three of them all to laugh.

Dr. K'Tar stood back "Well, I suppose I should go see what you have done." The woman pouted at her. "From what Spectre Kyrik says, you have saved all of our lives. I'm proud of you, my girl." Her pink lips spread into another grin and she waved as the doctor backed from the room .

Lykana stood to move after the doctor and she was motioned back. "I would prefer you to stay with subject... the patient Officer Norlus, please."

Lykana nodded and moved around the medic al bed away from Nihlus. The doctor looked meaningfully at him and almost walked into Brax who was standing nervously on the other side of the door. "Good! You can show me where this hole is so I may analyze our situation." Brax looked in panic at Nihlus as the doctor grabbed his arm to spin him around. "Lead the way."

Nihlus laughed as the door shut. The doctor might be a dreadnaught sized bitch, but she knew how to get her way.

His eyes went to the human curled on the bed and groaned. He had almost forgotten he was stuck here with someone who was now terrified of him.

He could just leave, but that would just make the next week on him even more difficult. The human woman was currently running one of her multi-diget hands softly along Lykana's mandible and down her neck, much as a turian mother would to sooth her child. Well, a good mother, anyway.

Nihlus stepped towards the women. Lykana's eyes darted to him and she jumped into the corner of the room. Nihlus glanced towards the woman on the bed. She look d at him imploringly and reached her arms towards Lykana. The turian female slowly stepped towards the human her eyes w tching Nihlus the whole time.

He backed away a step holding his hands in the air. The tension that had been mounting seemed to bleed away as Lykana fell into the humans arms hugging her tightly. "I owe you an apology Lykana."

Her gold eyes darted to him and she slowly sat back on the bed by the human. "It is I who should be sorry, sir. You are the commanding officer of this vessel. I should not have gotten in your way. In the military I could be court martialed for less." Her eyes stayed on her hands she held with the the human.

"But you have never been in the military ." Nihlus answered shrugging his shoulders as he approached.

"What?! My files are supposed to be sealed!" She yelled and stood quickly.

"Well, that was not the reaction I was expecting. I was just using what little I know of you. You are obviously old enough for military service, but never enrolled. Instead you go into security work. I'm guessing your parents are in the same field?" Nihlus leaned into the wall by the head of the bed and met her golden eyes.

She looked up at him her face slack as he nodded numbly, "My mother was C-Sec. I wanted to follow after her, but I had nothing except for my ties to my mother to get in. My uncle got me a job at Ventarlik station as security and told me it might give me a chance to get some experience."

"What of your father?" Nihlus asked. He glanced down at the human as she laid down on the bed. Nihlus began running his talons through the tendrils on her head.

Lykana took the cup from the woman's hand and placed it on the bed side table. " He died before I was born."

"You did not think the military could help you enroll in C-Sec."

She shrugged, "My mother had re-mated to an asari. They both always said they wanted something better for me. My father had been military and died military. I thought about going anyway when I turned fifteen, but then Mom died. I couldn't just leave my stepmother and little sister after that." She sighed deeply and her sub-harmonics trilled her sorrow.

"I am sorry." Nihlus said rubbing her shoulder over the bed.

She nodded and smilled slightly, at him. "Thank you. For this." She motioned as if clearing the air between them.

He nodded and turned to leave. She chirped an inquiry at him and he nodded towards the now sleeping human, "If she is asleep and we are still alive, then I believe she can hold up whatever it is she is doing long enough for me to get some much needed rest. It has been too long a day."

"Good night, Nihlus." She said running her hand softly down the humans cheek.

"Good night, Lykana."

He slowly moved towards his room. He cringed at the pathetic whine the aft thruster made struggling to propel them to the citadel without it's companions assisting it. The rattling seemed to be everywhere now. There was no way she was leaving port again, if they made it.

"CALL YOUR MOTHER! I swear she calls one more time Nihlus, I'll shove this scrape heap down her throat!" Cora screamed from the cock pit.

"Cora, I have half a mind to let you." He answered as he entered his quarters. It couldn't be the worst day of his life without a conversation with his mother to seal it.


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN:/ So sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I had a hell of a time trying to write this chapter and be happy with it. I'm at least mostly happy with it. Please, please with sprinkles on top, let me know what ya'll think.**_

Chapter 6

Nihlus paced his room waiting for the call he knew was coming. The consul on the desk began beeping and flashing at him. He pulled the chair out and sat, hitting the button to accept the call. The image that came across the screen was almost pure static, however Nihlus could read the scowl across her face.

"Do you know how long I have been trying to reach you? The things a son will put his own mother through." She was never one to go without dramatics.

"I beg your pardon, my dear mother. I was dealing with a bit of an emergency." He sighed out rubbing his hand across his eye ridge.

"Are you sure you are not just avoiding me?" Her sub-harmonics trilled hurt through the comm.

Nihlus gritted his teeth and stiffled down a snarl. He already knew this could go on forever. She would whine and complain about what a bad son he was to her until he was over-ridden with guilt. Then she would beg him for something until he gave in. At least that's how a normal conversation between mother and son would occur. But not tonight.

"What do you want from me now, mother?" He sighed in exasperation.

"I have to have a reason to want to speak with my own child?"

"Since this is you we are referring to, yes. You always have something you want from me." She growled at him and folded her arms across her chest angrily. "So, what is it this time?"

"I'll be visiting on the citadel in a few weeks time."

"I am to care, why? And just give me a straight answer. I do not have time for your games, mother. " He rubbed at his head.

"I would like to spend some time with my only son."

The chair clattered back and Nihlus stood, snarling "You mean you want somewhere to stay while hunting for a rich and powerful new mate. You figured you could drive me insane in the process. What about all of your old friends. Another idea, a hotel!"

His mother's yellow eyes widened and her mandibles fell slack as she stared in disbelieve at her son. Hurt evident as she began rapidly blinking. "I... but..."

He turned his back to the vid and rubbed his hand over his fringe, immediately overcome with guilt for lashing out at her. "Look, it has been a long few months for me. Give me a few days and I will set everything up for your visit. I will send all the info to you then, alright?" He turned back and saw the pained look in her eyes slowly fade.

She nodded slowly and let out a slow breath. "I do look forward to seeing you, Nihlus." She said leaning forward.

"I will see you when you arrive, mother." Nihlus said reaching to terminate the communications.

"Stay safe, my son." Her hand traced in front of the screen before the screen went blank.

Nihlus picked the fallen over chair and righted it back into position. He rolled his shoulders and groaned. He began to unseal his armor and stripped down to the plain black under suit.

He sat down on the edge of his bed and pulled up his omni-tool. "Cora, how we holding up?"

"Brax has finally gotten his ass motivated to getting the kinetic shielding up and running and, you're going to love this one, wants to go for a little stroll on the outside of the ship."

"I thought he completely fried the shield generators last month when he tried to get that extra umph out of them."

"He thinks he can get them working. Although from here it sounds like he is just yelling and beating the shit out of them."

Nihlus chuckled as the image played through his head. "Allow me a few hours of rest and I will join him on his walk."

"Will do, boss."

A short while later Nihlus woke with a start. He sat up and scanned his room quickly and jerked again before letting out a slow shaky breath. "Hey, you should be resting." He said softly to the petite human standing in the doorway of his quarters.

She had one of the med-bay blankets pulled tightly around her and was shivering so hard he could hear her teeth chattering. She had dark circles around her eyes that he didn't remember being there and her color was paler then before.

He rolled from the bed and approached her slowly. He reached out and carefully touched the side of her face. "You are freezing. Let's get you back to Dr. K'Tar." He began to move toward the door and was stopped by two small hands on his chest.

He looked down at the top of her head and watched fascinated as the red curls shook left and right. She moved closer against him and let out a small sigh as she rested her head into his chest between her hands.

Nihlus froze in place and blinked rapidly in confussion. He slowly lifted his hands to her shoulders and enjoyed the feel of her softness under the blanket pulled tightly around her before moving her back away from him. She immediately moved towards him her hands clinging to his under suit. Those dark eyes met his green as she pouted up at him.

He pulled her back to him and began rubbing his hands up and down her arms. She let out a small gasp and looked up at him with an eye brow raised.

"Well, we can not have you freezing to death, now can we?" Her eyes lit up and her mouth lifted into a grin. Nihlus felt his heart race as he felt her lean in closer to him with a content sigh.

"Let us see about resting for a bit, shall we?" She nodded into his chest. He led her to the bed and allowed her to climb in and watched as she curled onto her side and stared at him with those dark eyes again. He crawled into the bed and pulled his thick covers over them before laying back.

He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close. He glanced down and smiled as she snuggled close into him before he drifted to sleep.

He was awoken by his omni-tool beeping loudly. He sat up and looked around. There was no sign of the human but the sweet smell of her still hung in the air telling him she couldn't have left too long ago. He activated his omni-tool and blinked at the amount of messages he had received all in the last ten minutes.

There were two from the doctor, four from Cora, and the newest one marked urgent from Brax. He opened Brax's and quickly scrambled to put his armor on as he read.

"Get your ass up here! Cora is about to kill our guests."

Nihlus rushed out the door shoving his foot into his left boot and almost tripped over Lykana. He could hear the voices of Cora and Dr. K'Tar screaming from the cock pit. They looked at each other and rushed to the front of the ship.

"Get your science experiment away from my shit or I'll rip it's fucking arms off and beat it to death with them!"

"There is absolutely no reason to threaten her! She is trying to help!"

Nihlus burst into the room with Lykana directly on his heels. She ran into him when he came to a sudden stop and he growled at her over his shoulder. She muttered an apology and glanced around the cock pit as he turned back to do the same.

Cora was leaning into the doctor's face, her expression filled with rage as the doctor held her hands up in supplication. Behind Dr. K'Tar was the human frantically fiddling with the external sensors. Brax had part of his head peeking over the ledge of the hatch in the floor and seemed to be stifling himself from laughing.

"Get the fuck away from that, bitch!" Cora screamed as she flung a data pad over the doctors shoulder at the back of the humans head.

Nihlus started forward and was surprised when the human dodged to the side avoiding being hit. She glanced over her shoulder at Cora and stuck her tongue out between her pink lips. Cora let out a feral scream and went to dive at the girl through the doctor.

Nihlus caught the enraged asari around the waist and lifted her from the floor. She screamed and lashed out at him catching her nails down the side of his neck before her mind registered who had her. "Nih! Make it stop touching my shit!"

Nihlus shook her and dumped her to the floor. "What the fuck is going on?" He roared.

"That thing came crawling up from the hatch and just plopped it's happy ass in front of the scanners and started scanning for goddess knows what!" Cora yelled pointing angrily towards the girl. Said girl just merely shrugged her shoulders as she continued what she was doing.

Dr. K'Tar turned towards the human and placed her hand on her shoulder and was immediately shrugged off. "What are you doing, sweetheart?" The doctor inquired qently.

Her answer was a raised index finger motioning for a moment. Nihlus glanced down at the still mostly concealed batarian. "Brax? You have any idea? You must have seen her before she came up here."

Brax hoisted himself up and sat on the edge of the hatch, his legs dangling into the hole. "Yeah. The little one came down to see me and we got to talking... well, I talked, cause, you know." Brax said eyes darting to the human's back. Nihlus motioned for him to continue. "I was telling her that the generators were completely fucked and she got this weird look on her face. Then she just ran up here and you know the rest."

A ping ran out from the scanner and the human clapped her hands looking over at Nihlus with a grin spreading across her face.

He walked up behind her and placed his hand on the back of the chair. She leaned back and rubbed her head against his knuckles as he leaned forward. "What have you found?" He blinked at the readings and looked down at her in surprise. Her smile spread a little wider.

"Well, we might not be as fucked as feared." Nihlus laughed rubbing his hand over the top of the read hair.


End file.
